What is the space complexity of a recursive function that uses a stack for funct
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the space complexity of a recursive function that uses a stack for function calls?
O(1)
O(n)
O(log n)
O(n^2)
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the space complexity of a recursive function that uses a stack for function calls?
Step 1: Understand what space complexity means. It refers to the amount of memory space required by an algorithm as a function of the input size.
Step 2: Recognize that a recursive function calls itself. Each time it calls itself, it adds a new layer to the call stack.
Step 3: Identify that the maximum depth of the recursion (how many times the function calls itself before reaching a base case) determines the space used on the stack.
Step 4: If the recursion goes 'n' levels deep, it means there are 'n' function calls on the stack at the same time.
Step 5: Conclude that the space used for these function calls is proportional to 'n', leading to a space complexity of O(n).
